Dir. William Wyler. 1949, 115 mins. 35mm. With Olivia de Havilland, Montgomery Clift, Ralph Richardson. Wyler’s superb adaptation of Henry James’s Washington Square gave Olivia de Havilland one of her greatest roles (and her second Academy Award in three years) as the well-off but dowdy Catherine, approaching old-maid territory and torn between the overprotective control of her selfish father (Ralph Richardson) and the romantic pursuits of a handsome bachelor (Montgomery Clift) who may be a gold-digger. Every camera angle, edit, and performance cuts right to the heart of James’s merciless yet tender examination of humanity and its foibles, and de Havilland, burning through the screen from behind her plain-jane makeup and Edith Head’s beautiful, Oscar-winning costumes, delivers a master class in simmering fury.

Tickets: $15 ($11 seniors and students / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / free for children under 3 and Museum members at the Film Lover and Kids Premium levels and above). Order tickets online. (Members may contact members@movingimage.us with questions regarding online reservations.)

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